back to what you've known
by belgiques
Summary: At the end of 'Afterlife', all of them are scattered like the pieces of a haphazardly thrown-away puzzle. This is how the BUS team (plus a few additions) found their way back to each other.


Some time before noon, Coulson, Hunter and Mike arrived at the safe house Ward had supposedly been inhabiting ever since they had last seen each other. The appartement building was nice and not too showy, but Coulson knocked hesitantly anyway. Mike had cleared the area already, but the Director's list of people to trust was dreadfully short now and certainly no longer included Grant Ward. Constant vigilance, he told himself. Or unagi.

"Who is it?"

Instead of answering, Coulson shoved his lanyard under the door. Ward knew him enough to be certain Coulson would never let anyone steal it but he'd rather destroy it himself.

The door opened to reveal a rather healthy-looking and calm Grant Ward, much the opposite of how Coulson himself felt right then.

"Coulson." A nod, but no sign of malice or tenseness was visible in his face, which sent a pang of hurt, of remembrance, of grief course through him. He damned Garrett every day for making the man before him lose himself again, especially after he had found something real in a band of misfits-turned-family. Because that's what it had been, right? Real?

"Ward," he returned. Well, at least he'd tried to keep his tone neutral. If his former agent proved to be helpful to them over the next few days, maybe he'd work on getting rid of that resentment.

Ward's eyes fell on Mike next, and surprise – mixed with a flicker of fear – crossed his features. "Mike Peterson. I'll be damned. Still working for S.H.I.E.L.D., then?"

"Certainly not for Hydra. Right now, I work where the Director needs me."

"Alright," Hunter interjected after a few tense seconds, "Before you begin your staring contest, and not that I don't enjoy all these touching reunions, I'd really like to get inside." He stepped in front of Ward, attempting to make his way inside. "Good day to you, mate, I'm–"

"Lance Hunter. I know who you are."

"Glad to know my reputation precedes me. Now, can we come in and get this show on the road?"

Jemma sighed loudly from where she sat. On Fitz' bed, in his strikingly empty bunk. Really, she was trying to catch Bobbi's attention as she was walking down the hall, but it affected her more than she wanted to admit. She hoped that he was alright, that he had realised where she intended him to go. After all, she didn't know how long it would be before they saw each other again.

"You okay, Jemma?"

Bobbi looked at her almost uncertainly, and nodded slightly towards the picture in Jemma's hands.

"He took everything but this," she replied, lying through her teeth. To her immense contentment, he had taken the picture with him, so she'd just taken her copy to continue this charade.

Jemma closed her eyes, revelling in the fact that all of this was indeed just a deception, that things were finally looking less bleak for the two of them.

"I'm so sorry, Jemma. I never wanted this."

"I know," she told her, sincerely this time. To Bobbi's credit, she had been urging Jemma to fix her relationship with Fitz pretty much since she had arrived at the Playground. But she would never know if that had been out of friendship, or just as a part of Bobbi's own plan. "At least I know where I stand now, right? Absolutely nowhere."

Tears suddenly stung her eyes, remembering just how that felt.

"He still has the memories to remind him. I know he'll come around, Jemma. It's in his eyes," Bobbi told her, and the biochemist almost felt a little guilty; she was trying to be a good friend. But truth be told, no one could ever match Fitz in that department.

"It's a really nice picture, though."

Jemma couldn't help but smile at that. "This was our second mission together. Well, our first official one with Skye as a part of the team. I took this one right in front of a cave in Peru containing an 0-8-4. I was so happy to be in the field. Fitz was... a little less enthusiastic."

"He looks happy too, you know."

"Yes, well," she struggled to find an appropriate response to that. "Coulson brought us closer together."

She heard Bobbi breathe in deeply, and she flexed her hands a few times, seemingly wanting to restrain herself, but failing. "And then he drove you apart."

Jemma snapped her head up so fast that she felt something crack in her neck. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No, Bobbi. Hydra did that. Not Coulson, Hydra. And if you really can't see that Coulson has his heart in the right place and only has the best of intentions regarding S.H.I.E.L.D., then maybe I should reconsider and start packing my bags too."

She stormed out without another word, the realisation that the only person who really, truly knew her was hundreds of miles away hitting her hard.

"So if S.H.I.E.L.D. has been taken over, or has been split in two, or whatever, why are you the only one here?"

Coulson had told the story of Gonzalez' invasion of the Playground quickly and in parts, realising that he really had no idea what had happened to the majority of this team members.

"Where is everyone else?" Ward continued, surveying Coulson. His face betrayed little emotion, but his tone and eyes told a different story. If anything, at least that was a welcome change for Ward. "Where's May, Skye–"

"Skye was taken... By a dude with no eyes who can Apparate."

"Again with the Harry Potter references, Hunter?"

"Gotta know your classics, sir."

Coulson tried not to chuckle at that, failed and turned back to face Ward with a shake of his head.

"Right now, we don't know where she is or how to get to her. Just that she's with someone with powers, so I'm guessing she's safe for now. But we will find her." He fixed Ward with a determined stare and got a nod in return. "And May stayed behind with FitzSimmons."

"So they're okay?"

Ward very deliberately tried to avert his gaze, but the question in itself gave too much away.

"Well..."

"To be honest, I would've liked to have seen the two of them in your day, mate, because right now, they're worse than me and Bobbi after our divorce."

Ward winced a bit at that, and Mike shot Coulson a knowing glance.

"You saw Simmons, Ward. She's different. And as for Fitz–"

His sentence was abruptly interrupted when he heard fumbling outside the door and a subsequent knock that reverberated through the suddenly very quiet apartment.

He immediately looked to Mike, who could see more than any of them. "It's okay," he nodded, a hint of a smile on his face.

Hunter still fixed his gun firmly at the door, as did Ward.

Coulson opened the door to a flushed but smiling Fitz, who was clutching a bag in his arms.

"Wow," Coulson managed to say, "the timing of your arrival is unbelievable. Even I didn't see that coming."

May paced back and forth through the conference room, which was a thing she just did not do, ever. But she was at a loss. She'd seen Fitz leave on the cam footage, without so much as a smile or a hug for Jemma, and May would bet that they had something up their sleeves. Even with all their current issues, they wouldn't say goodbye so abruptly, without any emotion. So it was clear that she needed to find out what their plan was, and decide whether or not it was a good one. To do that, however, she needed to determine what was more important right now: appeasing Gonzalez by being docile and cooperative and taking a seat on the board – which would give Coulson a bigger chance if they got to him – or be proactive and trust that he could fix this on his own. Or rather, that they could fix it on their own together.

Well, if she put it like that...

"What are you doing here, Fitz? I mean, how did you find us?"

Fitz looked tired and worn-down as he started telling them that he had left, and immediately got on a plane, "after I accidentally saw you three on a monitor, I kind of hacked your feed, Mike, sorry" and there he was, having gone without sleep for two days. Fitz sneaked a glance at Ward, whom he had greeted with a neutral but not unkind "Ward, hello." that had seemed to lighten the latter's mood considerably. In typical Hunter fashion, he tried to engage Fitz in a fist bump. (He still hadn't quite gotten the hang of it.)

Studying him for a moment, Coulson thought that something seemed off about him, before he realised – stupid – that he was alone.

"Where's Agent Simmons?" Mike asked, beating him to the punch.

Fitz' face fell instantly, and he looked anywhere but at him as he muttered, "She stayed."

"What?!" Hunter exclaimed indignantly. "Are you kidding me? The women in our lives, Fitz, I'm telling you."

"No, no, no!" He jumped up, waving his arms fiercely. Ward raised his eyebrows, a small smile curling his lips. Mike chuckled, also recognising a bit of the old Fitz. "Jemma stayed willingly. She had a plan. Got me out."

He rummaged through his backpack, sending a few items of clothing flying. He turned to them with a triumphant smile on his face. "She got me out with this."

Coulson had to restrain himself from letting his mouth drop open as he got up and picked up the device Fitz held up. "Fury's Toolbox. But how did you..."

Fitz explained how he had figured out what Jemma was doing as soon as he'd seen the scans, and how he staged a fight with her in front of Mack and Bobbi, having a different conversation altogether while solidifying Jemma's 'loyalty' to science. "Jemma's loyal to people over science. I think we all know that."

"She copied this? Well, colour me impressed," Hunter admitted, letting out a low whistle.

"It's a great plan," Ward spoke up suddenly, making Fitz jump slightly. He was looking between Fitz and Coulson, brows furrowed. "But it puts her in a lot of danger. If they find out she did this, whether they're S.H.I.E.L.D. or not, they will see it as betrayal."

"Mack would never hurt Jemma. He saved me too," Fitz countered, fiercely wanting to believe in his friend. His comment made Ward grimace again.

"And neither would Bobbi. She genuinely likes her," Hunter agreed.

"That may be true, but they're not in charge, are they? Gonzalez is."

"Ward's right. He's not the same man I once knew. The truth is, I don't know what he's capable of anymore."

There was a moment's silence after Coulson's statement, and another uncomfortable shuffle from Ward. He knew that Fitz and Hunter were likely thinking about Jemma's brief stint at Hydra and how close that had been. He knew that Gonzalez was nothing like Whitehall, but power wouldn't be power without a chance for corruption.

"She stayed with May. We weren't going to leave her alone," Fitz said quietly, a defensive note to his voice.

Once more, Coulson marvelled at how brave those two scientists actually were. He nodded understandingly.

"Then there's only one thing we can do," Mike concluded, standing up firmly.

"Yes," Hunter agreed, sounding very serious. "We need to get your respective ball and chains. And maybe convince mine to drop Gonzalez like a hot potato."

Almost serious, then.

"You're lucky May isn't here yet," Coulson warned him, amusedly rubbing his eyes, "or you'd be right back in her doghouse."

"Also, Jemma isn't my ball–"

"Wait a minute, was I out of it then?"

"Until you got yourself kidnapped."

"Hey, I came back, and it wasn't easy, mind you. Besides, how does that warrant a punishment as bad as for shooting everyone?"

"What?" Mike and Ward said at the same time, eyeing Hunter incredulously. Hunter managed to look sheepish.

"Oh, I sort of shot all of them once, and then May shot me when I wanted to shoot Tiny. It was all a big misunderstanding."

Ward tried not to smirk. "Tiny?"

"It's Jemma," Fitz clarified, trying not to laugh at the look on Ward's face.

"Ah."

"Look, not that I don't enjoy all of this banter, because I like it as much as the next guy, but we should come up with a plan of action, don't you think?" Mike said, effectively ending their discussion by walking into the next room, leaving a grumbling Hunter and three men grinning at him.

As the day progressed, Jemma started to feel increasingly uneasy around everyone. Having her team reduced to only two members was hurting her acquired lying skills. Her fight with Bobbi certainly didn't help either. What she needed most of all, was to talk to May, but Jemma knew they wouldn't let them see each other until she had fully committed to the cause as well.

So maybe she needed to lure May out herself.

Just then she heard footsteps approaching, and by the sound of it, Mack was walking down the hall. She had to think of something quickly and she wasn't prepared. The only thing she could think of was tears. That worked on every man, right?

A weird talent of hers, Jemma had always been able to cry on command. You'd think that would've made her a good liar, since that's a quality of a good actress, but well–obviously not. She couldn't recall using that trick on Fitz when they were younger, but her parents and school teachers had certainly been subjected to her crocodile tears. No, Fitz had always seen right through her. That's why he had known she was only playing a role during their fight. And that's how she had known too.

A few moments later, she was furiously wiping her eyes as Mack walked by. Just like she expected, he paused and turned. Damn it, he really was kind. She had to force those thoughts away before she started to feel guilty.

"You okay, Dr. Simmons?"

"No, I'm really not."

Mack sighed sadly, shifting his weight from feet to feet.

"Look, maybe after a few days of thinking about it, he'll come back and join us."

"I really doubt it. Fitz doesn't really take well to betrayal," she replied.

"You only wanted to do the right thing. I'm sure he'll forgive you."

Jemma's head shot up, her eyes narrowing in disbelief.

"I wasn't talking about me," she spat, raising her voice. And just as luck would have it, Bobbi approached them cautiously, eyes flickering between Jemma and Mack. "You knew about Ward! You knew he lied to our faces the entire time he was on our team!"

She was really getting angry now, spurred on by the hurt she felt for Fitz that this happened to him again.

"You knew he had trust issues and that he was struggling after the med pod and yet you still befriended him, full-well knowing that you were lying to his face as well."

Mack looked properly saddened by that comment and made to respond, but Jemma continued her rant.

"He opened up to you, Mack," damn her voice for breaking, "like he hadn't done with anyone on our team, not even me. He did that because you liked the new Fitz, and you madehim like the new Fitz a little bit more too. And it breaks my heart that now he's out there thinking that his two best friends betrayed him, just like Ward did."

She was full-on crying now, and the two agents in front of her looked very close to tears as well.

"I didn't like you at first, Mack, because you were kind and solid and loyal and there was no justifiable reason for me to hate you. I just wish you'd been honest, at least to Fitz."

Mack bowed his head, visibly shaken and ashamed, but Bobbi jumped to his defence.

"You know, Jemma, you have no right to tell off Mack like that. We're not Hydra, we're on the same team. We only want the best for all of you."

"You could've fooled me. Is that why nearly every member of my team is gone, why you're locking up May, and why Hunter is out there helping Coulson?"

They both winced at the mention of Hunter's name, and Jemma was fed up with all of this. Hopefully, May was hearing all of this, because she just wanted to get out of here.

"I'm not stupid," Jemma continued, her voice steady again. "I know I've hurt him more than anyone else, but I'm paying for that in spades. I lied to him, but we've known each other for over ten years, and that trust is worth far more than fear."

Something seemed to dawn on both of them as she repeated Fitz' words, and Jemma knew there was no going back now.

"I think it's time for me to go. For both of us, really."

Right on cue – she was the Cavalry, of course she would be, she had to duck as May barrelled through the window in a backflip, shattering the glass and sending it flying everywhere. She landed next to Jemma in an unfairly grateful way, pointing an ICER at Bobbi and Mack.

"You're not the only one who can do that," May said to Bobbi, smirking slightly.

"Jemma, think about this. It's not too late," Bobbi begged her, holding up her hands.

"I think it is, Bobbi. I am truly sorry. I considered you both my friends, but all of us, we've been through this before. There won't be a second time. And from now on, you should know that if I have to choose between science and my team, I'll always choose family."

Then, instead of firing the gun, May took out the dendrotoxin magazine, threw it up in the air towards Bobbi and Mack and shot it, releasing the toxin onto them.

"I'm sorry it had to go like this," May told them as well, before grabbing Jemma's arm and ordering her to run.

"What's that smell?" Hunter wondered as Fitz was unpacking his bag and the rest of them were trying to come up with a feasible rescue plan.

Ward looked up from the schematics of the base that Fitz had produced on his tablet and sniffed.

"If I recall correctly, it's a prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella sandwich."

Fitz felt his cheeks and neck growing crimson, a little embarrassed and a part of him angry, because that was something his friend Grant Ward had known, and that made it that much harder to hate this one.

Hunter perked up immediately and walked over. "So you brought sandwiches?" In that moment, he actually looked like a puppy being allowed to go out for a walk.

"Not really," he replied, distinctly not looking at any of them and fidgeting with his bag. "Uh, Simmons made me one. But you can eat the other half, if you want."

Hunter didn't need to be said that twice and he grabbed the sandwich eagerly.

"And don't worry, I checked for dogs this time," Fitz added, glancing at Ward for a second and then turning back to his bag. Damn him and their history. It was too easy to fall back into that old rapport. Ward looked extremely pleased with that throwback, and Coulson concluded that Skye hadn't been the only person who had grown on him.

Hunter was about to dig into the sandwich when he noticed something sticking to it. To Fitz' horror, he realised it was Jemma's note.

"And what's this? Code?" Hunter looked utterly gleeful and Fitz desperately wanted to wipe that shit-eating grin off his face. "Mate, is this a love note? 'Be safe, exclamation , Jemma?'"

"Hunter, please refrain from being such a tool," Coulson told him, wondering if he was the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. or the director of a primary school. Hunter wouldn't budge, though.

"Did I miss something in my absence?"

"No, now give it–" Fitz tried to yank the note from his hand, but he was being a proper knob and keeping it out of his reach.

"What are you, five?" Ward asked, standing up and towering over Hunter, he managed to get it from his hands.

"I've just met him but I think he might be," Mike offered, looking knowingly at Coulson before turning back to his notebook.

"I resent that, all of that," Hunter exclaimed. "Just trying to bring a little levity to the table. I'm the big brother you've never wanted, admit it, Fitz."

Ward ignored him, giving the note back to who it was meant for. "Here you go, Fitz," he added, tentatively gaging the engineer's reaction before clapping him on the back lightly.

"Thanks, Ward. You– You should split the rest of the sandwich, Hunter doesn't deserve the whole thing anymore," Fitz replied, sending a thankful smile at Ward before directing the last part at the now full-on pouting Brit.

"Oh, how you wound me, Fitz!"

"We need to get out of here, Simmons. Now," May said urgently, still running through the halls. No alarm had sounded yet, but they knew it wouldn't take long for someone to discover Bobbi and Mack. Jemma felt incredibly guilty, and she knew that however tough she had gotten over the past year, her compassion would never leave her.

"There's supposed to be a quinjet at the ready. I saw it on the monitors."

Jemma stopped in her tracks, suddenly remembering something. "Oh no, May– I can't leave yet, I–I need my bag. I packed it yesterday along with Fitz'. It has all my research in it, from Hydra, on the Toolbox, everything."

"So I was right to think that that fight–"

"We staged it. Fitz has the Toolbox and he's taking it to Coulson as we speak."

"Well done," May told her, and Jemma knew she was proud of them. Praise from May was not to be taken lightly. "Okay, I'll go with you to get your stuff."

"No, it's best you go to the quinjet. We need to move fast."

May hesitated, but Jemma held her ground.

"I can do it, May."

"I know you can. Take the ICER. Hurry." They nodded at each other and went running in opposite directions.

Jemma ran as fast as she could, and sooner than she had expected she turned the hallway to the bunks, just as the alarm started to sound. She threw her door open and grabbed her bag quickly, happy she'd packed her pictures and TARDIS the day before.

However, as she turned back around, she was met with the sight of at least ten guards pointing guns at her. Jemma's heart started to race as she drew her own gun. They were at a standstill, one she wouldn't win.

Suddenly, everyone froze as little particles of what looked like earth started to swirl in between Jemma and the soldiers, slowly forming a mass that increased in density, until finally, a figure was standing before her. She was mesmerised, so much so that she couldn't even gasp when she saw–

"Trip?"

Jemma didn't dare blink, afraid that he would disappear again when she did. But it was him. He was standing in front of her, alive, and he looked at himself, studying his arms as if he couldn't believe it himself either. Then he looked at her, and she remembered why she had been so deeply saddened when he'd died–his smile was radiant.

"Hey, girl."

She felt like crying and laughing all at once at the sound of his voice, his tone a hint of disbelief mixed with the cheerfulness she'd come to associate with him. Before she could do anything, however, she saw the soldiers snapping out of their temporary stupor and raising their guns again.

"Look out!" she yelled, lunging towards Trip. The last thing she remembers is seeing Trip starting to dissolve into little fragments again before he grabbed her and they were gone.

"Coulson, I want to talk to you about something."

"I think I already know, Ward. And what do you think my answer is right now?" Coulson asked him, looking at him in scrutiny, though not unkindly.

Ward sighed. "I know. I just–I've changed too, Coulson. I'm not under Garrett's influence anymore, and I know that doesn't excuse what I've done, but I..." He trailed off as he looked towards where Fitz and Hunter were talking silently. "I really thought that pod would float, you at least have to believe me on that."

"I do," Coulson replied, looking at him intently, "but you're right, that doesn't make it right. What you did, shattered this team, and it will take a very long time to heal. For what it's worth, Ward, I no longer believe that you're a bad man. But that doesn't make you a good one either. Do something about that first, if you ever want to be accepted by any of us again."

Jemma gasped for air as she felt solid ground beneath her feet again. It took her a moment to get her bearings, but it all crashed back as she stared up at the man in front of her, the man who had apparently transported them across the base, as they were now closer to the hangar than before. She clutched her bag to her chest and gave his hand a squeeze, verifying that he was actually there.

"Am I hallucinating?" she asked breathlessly.

He grinned widely and then she knew she wasn't. "Then we're both on the same drugs, Agent Simmons."

Jemma couldn't stop the laugh she let out and surged forward to hug her friend tightly, dropping her bag on the floor momentarily and with tears now stinging her eyes. She felt his arms tighten around her. Again, this world managed to take her by surprise.

"How is this possible? You were definitely– I saw you with my own eyes," she stammered.

He actually shrugged and quickly explained how he had woken up on one of the lower floors of the base the day before, with no idea of how he got there, and that at first, he hadn't been whole, he had just been a "presence" ("I don't know the scientific term for that, unfortunately," he told her in a teasing voice).

"There wasn't anything I could do but just be, until I heard Skye saying something about needing to go to her friends and poof, I was standing on that same floor, back in the flesh."

Jemma had no idea how to respond to that at all. She'd only been speechless a couple of times in her life, and those had mostly been Fitz' doing. But then she realised–

"You heard Skye? Do you know where she is?"

Trip looked stunned for a moment. "She's not here?"

Jemma shook her head. "I'll explain later." An idea flashed in her mind. If he could hear her– "Can you get to her?"

He hesitated for a moment, closing his eyes. "This may sound strange, but I think I can. I have no idea how, and I don't even know if I'll be able to do that again."

"You have to try. The team needs her. Tell her that, please."

"Yes, ma'am," he saluted, and after a second, his extremities started to disintegrate until the rest of him disappeared with a sort of zapping sound.

Skye still didn't know what to make of this place. "Afterlife". When most of the time, it felt like her life was only just beginning. And the truth was, she didn't know anyone–or rather, trust anyone. Granted, it had been really great to learn how to control her powers a bit, and Lincoln was pretty nice ("Pretty and nice?" She almost heard Jemma's attempt at humour loud and clear.), but she really wanted to know what was going on with her team. Her friends. Her family. No amount of Inhuman bonding could change that.

Her thoughts were interrupted by what seemed like a commotion outside and she got up to check it out. When she stepped out of her cabin, people were gathered in the square, all looking towards—

A sob erupted from her body, not believing that her eyes weren't playing some cruel trick on her. Antoine Triplett was standing in front of her, as whole and good as she'd ever seen him. She started to tremble all over but she couldn't make herself care.

"Trip?"

He exhaled sharply and sent her a smile that could blind anyone within a twenty-foot radius. "Agent Skye," he replied, teasing her, as if nothing had changed.

She ran as quickly as her legs could take her, crashing into him so hard he had to take a step back to hold his balance.

"Oh my God," she whispered when she felt him solid under the pressure of her arms. "Am I dreaming?"

He chuckled and she swore she could feel it reverberating through her entire body. "No. Unless we both are. And Simmons too."

She pulled away from him and let her hands pat his body to her liking, just to check. (And also maybe not.)

"How is this–"

"Possible? I don't really know, but I'll explain later. But I do have the feeling we're in the same boat."

Her smile couldn't have possibly been any wider. "Plenty of room left in this boat."

Trip stood so relaxed before her, still with that infuriatingly infectious smile, and before she knew it, a tear was rolling down her cheek and she felt the ground start to shake beneath her. He looked at her questioningly when she let go of him and clenched her fists, trying to control her breathing.

"Are you doing this?" He asked, sounding a bit amazed.

She could only nod. Her head was spinning.

"Girl, that is so cool," he told her, clearly impressed, and she could feel her heart skip a beat. He grabbed her hands and looked at her intently, and to her own surprise, the tremors soon subsided.

"You said something about Jemma? Did she send you?" Skye asked when she felt herself going back to normal.

"Yeah. The team needs you, Skye. Simmons will explain when we're all back together."

Skye nodded determinedly, and she turned to find Lincoln standing not too far off.

"Thank you for everything you've already done for me, and I–we," she gestured towards Trip (stop grinning, you idiot, she berated herself, to no avail), "we will probably be back, but right now, I–"

"You have someplace you need to be. I get it, Skye. I'll see you soon," he replied, nodding in understanding. She squeezed his hand and walked back over to Trip, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off her since he had arrived.

"Can you take us back. Is that your thing?" she asked hesitantly, only for him to raise an eyebrow when she mentioned his thing and really, this almost definitely wasn't the time to burst out laughing. She smacked his arm and grabbed onto him tightly. "You dork. Just do it."

He barely managed to bark out another laugh and yell "come on, girl" before they disappeared.

"Guys, run, now!"

Skye and Trip had joined Jemma just moments before, and their reunion hug was interrupted by another group of soldiers coming around the corner. They immediately sent bullets their way and Skye's heart nearly stopped when Jemma cried out and fell to the ground.

"Jemma!" she exclaimed, quickly turning back and unleashing a quake onto them, which had its intended effect of throwing them all unconscious against the wall.

"Is she alright?" she demanded frantically, kneeling down next to her friend. Trip turned Jemma over and he and Skye exhaled in relief when they saw those familiar blue lines around her eyes.

"That poor thing keeps getting ICED," Skye commented, brushing the biochemist's hair away from her face. Trip slowly picked her up and cradled her in his arms. "Where's Fitz?" he wondered darkly, and Skye had no answer for him.

"Come on, let's get to May. Zap away, Antoine."

May was speechless for what Trip and Skye assumed was the first time in her life. She stared at the both of them for nearly two minutes, seemingly not registering that an alarm was still sounding. Then she smiled at them approvingly and eyed Trip as he laid Jemma's still form down gently, her bag slung across his shoulder.

"I'm sure I'll get the story later. I'll start the plane," she said to them, turning to walk to the cockpit but halting for a second before she hugged the both of them. Skye and Trip shared a startled glance, but soon she let go and once again moved to go.

"Hold up, Agent May," Trip started to say. "This quinjet's a little conspicuous, don't you think? If you trust me, I think I can get us there a little faster. Let's just see if I can get you and Skye there first. Skye, if you grab my hand–"

"I think it'll work. It's like I know. This is so weird," she replied, grabbing May's hand as well before she demanded an explanation. When she felt Trip's power going through her, she let go of him and whispered to herself, "Coulson", before closing her eyes.

In an instant, they were gone with the same zapping sound as before. Trip had no time to be amazed at that new development, moving towards Jemma and just seeing the dendrotoxin lines on her face disappearing. After a few moments, she stirred and blinked dazedly.

"Excellent timing you have," Trip told her, grinning again. She groaned.

"Again with the ICER?"

He chuckled at her indignation and slowly helped her up. "Come on, Miss Simmons, time to go."

She nodded, smiling widely despite feeling a bit groggy, and took hold of his hand.

Another zap, and they were gone too.

Coulson was ready to throw something at Hunter and Fitz if they kept quarrelling like little children, but he had to admit that even his ideas for a rescue plan were abysmal. He sighed and leaned back in his chair.

Out of nowhere, the ground started shaking lightly and Fitz barely had the time to share an alarmed glance with his director before May appeared in the centre of the room, holding hands with Skye.

Coulson literally felt his mouth fall open as the younger agent launched herself at him and Fitz, muttering "I missed you guys so much."

"Skye, what are you– How–"

"That was my reaction too, but without saying it out loud," May told him, grinning slightly as she gave his hand a quick squeeze.

"Oh, just wait until you see–"

Skye didn't finish that sentence, as another zap sounded and Trip was standing where Skye had just been moments before, holding on to Jemma.

It was only the fact that Coulson knew he had perfect sight, or he wouldn't have believed his own eyes. Everyone was staring at him as though he was a ghost, which for all intents and purposes, he should be.

Skye beamed at all of them before proudly announcing, "Guys, it looks like we have another gifted in our midst!"

Mike was the first to get his senses back as he stepped towards Trip and shook his hand. "Welcome to the club," he told him teasingly, at the same time Trip hooted in delight at seeing him again. Hunter followed immediately after, clapping him on the back delightedly.

Coulson made his way over as well and, to the younger man's surprise, hugged him briefly. "This is the best news we've had in a long time. Welcome back, Trip. Wow."

Soon, he could sense a minute tension coming over the room, and Coulson realised that everyone had turned to Ward now, who looked extremely uncomfortable now. Before any of them could say anything, he spoke up.

"Look, I know we have some serious issues to work through here, but we have nowhere else to go, and more importantly, Ward has done nothing but help us since we got here. I think we have to start considering giving him a second chance."

"I want him here too," Fitz jumped in, "and really, if that's coming from me, you lot have no room to protest."

That comment made everyone chuckle, effectively breaking the tension again. Ward looked over at Skye and Trip, nodding in greeting at the both of them. After a few seconds, they both returned it.

"Fitz."

Jemma's small voice rang through the room, silencing them all as the scientists locked eyes.

"Jemma."

Coulson had to fiercely resist the urge to roll his eyes at the two of them, but Hunter reacted first, groaning and yelling, "For God's sake, guys, we've seen Simmons' note, you can drop the charade, it's been long enough."

No sooner had the words left Hunter's mouth than Jemma ran over to Fitz, locking him in a crushing embrace, which he returned warmly. The moment was so intimate that most of them just smiled and looked away, until Trip threw his hands up in defeat.

"Damn, I'm back for an hour and already I've been bumped to number two."

"I know what you mean," Hunter replied emphatically, before turning to Jemma, who was now standing next to Fitz looking beet-red. Her companion wasn't faring any better, furiously rubbing at his neck. "Hello, Tiny, it's good to see you too. It's been nearly two weeks! You saw this knucklehead three days ago."

"Oh, shut up, Lance," they replied in unison.

"Yes!" Skye cried in triumph, "The psychic link is back!"

"Guys!"

Soon everybody was discussing Trip and Skye and FitzSimmons, and Coulson no longer wanted to throw things, even though they were again acting like children on a playground.

"I guess things aren't that bad after all," Ward commented from where he stood in between Coulson and FitzSimmons.

Hell, Coulson would take Director of this kindergarten over Director of nothing any day.


End file.
